


Twice Exceptional

by akasharpiegirl



Series: Fight On, Fighter. [2]
Category: Iron Man (Movies), Marvel Cinematic Universe, Spider-Man (Tom Holland Movies)
Genre: Angst with a Happy Ending, Gen, Irondad, Irondad & Spiderson, Kid Morgan Stark (Marvel Cinematic Universe), Morgan Stark (Marvel Cinematic Universe) Needs a Hug, Not Spider-Man: Far From Home Compliant, Not Spider-Man: Far From Home Mid-Credits Scene Compliant, Parent Pepper Potts, Precious Morgan Stark (Marvel Cinematic Universe), Protective Peter Parker, Tony Stark Has A Heart, and shes mad, enjoy, ironfam, morgan is bad at math, this is the second part to that fic that no one read
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-08-24
Updated: 2019-08-24
Packaged: 2020-10-01 18:47:19
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,507
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20370319
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/akasharpiegirl/pseuds/akasharpiegirl
Summary: It wasn’t on purpose, not that Morgan understood. She wasn’t zoning out in third grade math, for she heard everything that her teacher said. She tried to understand. But as soon as she had to put the lesson into practice, she couldn’t remember anything. Was she the only one with this problem? How was it that she understood everything from second grade and before, but third grade? Nothing made sense. Could she, the daughter of Tony Stark, possibly be bad at math?





	Twice Exceptional

It wasn’t on purpose, not that Morgan understood. She wasn’t zoning out in third grade math, for she heard everything that her teacher said. She tried to understand. But as soon as she had to put the lesson into practice, she couldn’t remember anything. Was she the only one with this problem? How was it that she understood everything from second grade and before, but third grade? Nothing made sense. Could she, the daughter of Tony Stark, possibly be bad at math? 

“Morgan, I need to talk to you at the end of class before you leave,” Mrs. Leo said as she dropped a graded paper on Morgan’s desk. “It’s about your grades.”

“Yes ma’am,” Morgan mumbled, staring at the paper that laid on her desk. Another C. Wonderful. 

The next hour went by incredibly slow and when the afternoon announcements came on, she tried to sneak past Mrs. Leo’s watchful eye. But to no avail, Mrs. Leo saw Morgan’s attempt to leave with everyone else. 

“Morgan,” Mrs. Leo’s voice was taut. “I know you remember what I asked you an hour ago.”

Morgan stopped in her tracks, even though she was halfway down the third grade hall and she knew she could make a run for the car rider’s line if she so chose to. As she turned around, her right arm tensed as guilt rushed over her, and she wished she could be invisible in that very moment. She made it back to Mrs. Leo’s room a minute later. “I’m sorry.”

“I’ll let it slide this time. But if it happens again I’ll have to call your parents,” Mrs. Leo explained, handing Morgan a note. “Your grades are dropping in math. If it’s an act of rebellion against your parents or if you truly need help, you need to figure something out, okay? You can always redo work and I can assign you remediation IXLs to pick your grades up, but if you don’t tell anyone what’s going on, none of us know we can help you, and the school won’t have anything else to do aside from hold you back. Well, that also leans on what score you get on state testing. But, nonetheless, you need to pick up the slack whichever way it lands.”

“Yes, ma’am, I understand,” Morgan stated, holding onto the note with a death grip. 

“The note I gave you is for your parents, make sure they sign it and that it gets back to me first thing on Monday,” Mrs. Leo stated. “You understand?”

“Yes, ma’am,” Morgan answered. There was no way she’d let her parents find out.

“Now, you have a good rest of your evening and weekend. I expect to see some better grades in the future, Morgan,” Mrs. Leo said upon Morgan’s quick leave from the room. 

As soon as Happy dropped Morgan off and once she made it to her room, Morgan crumpled the letter up and threw it in the corner of her room. A few moments later, she pulled out Peter’s old Nintendo Switch and began playing Animal Crossing: New Horizons in her room.

“Hey, Maguna! Come downstairs and greet your brother!”, Tony called from downstairs thirty minutes later.

Morgan raced downstairs to find her brother home from college. “Peter!”, Morgan exclaimed, giving him a big hug.

“Hey, cutie! I missed you!”, Peter ruffled his sister’s brown hair before looking at Pepper and Tony.

“What are you doing here, Pete? It’s a week night,” Tony asked. “I’m glad you’re here, don’t get me wrong! But you’re still in college.” He pointed to the MIT hoodie that Peter was wearing. “Are classes going well, by the way?”

“Yeah, they’re fine. But I’ve got no classes next week,” Peter answered. “Drove down earlier today after my last class and got too tired to deal with Queens’ insane traffic, so… Can I stay tonight? Please? I’ll be out of you guys’ hair tomorrow afternoon, I promise.”

Morgan looked at her parents with hope in her eyes, even though she knew they would say yes.

“Of course kid, though you never annoy us,” Tony answered. “Your room hasn’t been changed. And have you eaten? We were just about to have dinner.”

  
  
  


“So, how’s your island?”, Peter asked. “Have you figured out how to make flower crowns yet?”

“It’s good! And wait, you can make flower crowns?”, Morgan asked, excitement on her face. 

“Mhm,” Peter said, sitting at the side of Morgan’s bed. “I can show you if you would like. Ned showed me how to make them, it’s actually really easy. All you need are two red tulips, two yellow tulips, and one white tulip.”

Peter showed Morgan how to make them before getting up. “I just remembered I need to go ask your Dad something. Be right back.” A hum came from Morgan in response. Peter was about to leave the room when he saw the crumpled piece of paper in the corner of her room. “What’s that, Morgan?”

“I don’t know,” Morgan answered, not looking up from the Nintendo Switch to see what Peter was referring to.

“Well, I’m gonna throw it away for you,” Peter answered, picking up the crumpled sheet, and walking out. That’s when he saw Morgan’s name poking out of the corner. And being the curious person Peter is, he uncrumpled the sheet. And that’s when he saw it. The kid he thought of as a sister to him, was five grade points away from failing third grade math. 

“Hey, Tony, Pepper? Can I talk to you for a second?”, Peter asked upon stepping into the living room. 

The two turned around, concern spreading on both of their faces. This was the first time in months that Peter had addressed them by their first names (or nicknames) and usually when he did, it wasn’t great. 

“I was gonna throw this away, it was in the corner of Morgan’s room,” Peter said, handing the crumpled sheet to Pepper. “Then when I was coming down to talk to you guys anyway, I read the note. And, she’s gonna kill me for showing you guys.”

“Morgan’s about to fail math,” was all Pepper said upon reading the paper.

“Wait, what?”, Tony said, taking the paper from Pepper. After reading the note, confusion was replaced with shock. “Her report card comes in two weeks and this was given to her today, it’s dated.”

“It could be the start of that famous pre-teen rebellion even though she isn’t even nine years old yet,” Peter answered. “I went through it, everyone does.”

“Yes, but, remember that her neurologist said that she could very well actually have an issue with understanding more difficult mathematical concepts as her schooling progresses,” Pepper reminded both Tony and Peter. 

“Yeah, I remember when we were told that,” Tony answered. He thought to himself for a moment before calling for Morgan. “Hey Morgan! Can you come downstairs for a second?”

Morgan made it downstairs a few minutes later, “Yeah Dad?” Morgan saw Peter slink into her Dad’s office when the two made eye contact, but Morgan didn’t think anything of it.

“Did anything happen at school today?”, Tony asked once Morgan took a seat in between her Mom and Dad. 

“What-”, Morgan barely got out before seeing the note her teacher had given her at the end of the day. “Peter showed you, didn’t he?” Her voice was low, she felt tears brim her eyes, her right hand balling into a fist due to stress she wasn’t prepared for. “He did. Of course, he did. That’s the paper that he picked up in my room. I'm gonna kill him! Why'd he do that?”

“So, what’s up Morgan?”, Tony asked, his voice calm as he noticed how Morgan was trying not to cry. “Why is your math grade slipping?”

“Be honest, please,” Pepper asked Morgan.

“Promise you won’t get mad?”, Morgan asked as she twiddled her thumbs as she waited for her parents’ responses. 

“Promise we won’t get mad,” Tony and Pepper answered simultaneously. 

“I don’t know how to-”, Morgan stopped speaking, a lump in her throat forming at the attempt of keeping herself from crying. “Oh my god, I’m so stupid.”

Tony’s and Pepper’s eyes widened at the fact Morgan just called herself stupid. “Hey,” Tony spoke up, his voice teetering between calm and stern. “Morgan, you’re not stupid.”

“Y-Yeah, I am, Dad. Yes, I am. I, Morgan Hope Stark, the long anticipated daughter to Tony Stark, the kid who’s supposed to do it all, can’t do math!”, Morgan yelled, though her voice was shaky. “Of course, I'm the first Stark to hear math in one ear and then its as if five minutes later I've never heard the concert before.”

It was quiet for a minute after that. “How long have you been having trouble?”, was the first thing Pepper asked.

Morgan struggled to answer that question, but she did anyway, “End of second grade.”

“Second grade?”, Tony asked. “Why didn’t you come to us?”

“Because if I came to you, the entire world would know! They’d know, somehow. It would somehow get out, the rumor mill can get things right. I’m already bullied enough for looking the way I do,” a few tears fell down Morgan’s face as she spoke. “The minute I leave the gifted program, the minute I get a tutor, everything will change. I won’t be that perfect kid anymore. I never was after I got sick.”

Tony and Pepper exchanged a look of sorrow before Pepper spoke up, “In our eyes, a limb difference and a difficulty in understanding a subject shouldn’t change your worth. Yeah, the press will hear about it, try to twist what is truly going on, and degrade you for it, but that shouldn’t change your worth, and it won’t. It never will. Not to me, not to your Dad, not to Peter, not to anyone close to us.”

“But that doesn’t change what they’ll say about me, about you guys… That doesn’t change how I feel about myself. Even if you guys shield me from that, I know stuff is still being said, especially when I hear it at school,” Morgan stated.

“What type of stuff do the kids at your school say about you?”, Tony inquired. 

“That I’m supposed to look normal,” Morgan answered. “And I don’t. I walk with a limp and my right arm is incapable of doing more than existing by my side. Not so subtly either.”

“I don’t think we were meant to be normal. If we were, a lot of things would be different in my life. I think your Mom would say the same,” Tony answered. 

“That’s not the point,” Morgan answered. “You  _ look _ normal, Dad. I don’t.”

Tony sighed, “Yeah, that’s true, Morgan. But my point still stands, all of us have something that differentiates us from someone else. I have scars, your Uncle Rhodey has leg braces… And almost everyone you know has a mental illness of some kind. I have panic attacks, and Peter has both Anxiety and sensory overload. Some things you can see, some things you can’t. It’s not fair that you have a disability that can be both seen and not seen at the same time. And I’m sorry, honey. I wish I knew why that happened, I really do. But your family, we believe that everything happens for a reason. It may not be obvious at first, but one day you’ll figure out why that happened. You’ll figure out exactly what you’re meant to do in life and your disability isn’t going to stand in your way. That is what I know.”

“That doesn’t change the fact that I’m about to fail third grade math because I’m  _ stupid _ ,” Morgan answered.

“You’re not stupid, Morgan. You just need some extra help. That’s not a bad thing. That is why, from now on, I’m going to help you get through math,” Tony stated. “You’ll get through this.”

Morgan scoffed, “I need extra help? Sounds a lot like stupidity to me.” She left the living room to go to her room.

Tony stood up, “Morgan-“ He was cut off by the sound of her door slamming shut.

“Tony, do you want me to talk to her?”, Pepper asked. 

“No, I’ll talk to her. She has a bone to pick with me specifically, not you. She’s really upset,” Tony said. “I don’t blame her, I would be too.”

“She doesn’t see the same spark in her that we see in her,” Pepper nodded. “She’s intelligent, Tony. She just has a deficit. Everyone does. Hers is just more apparent. I don’t think she realizes that’s not a bad thing.”

“I know,” Tony said before grabbing a box of tissues from the end table and walking up the stairs, stopping at Morgan’s door.

Tony quietly knocked on her door and pushed it open. “Can I talk to you, Maguna?” Taking one step into his daughter’s room.

Morgan looked up from her desk at Tony and pointed accusingly at him, “Dad, please get out of my room!”

Tony took a step back out of her room and raised his hands in surrender, “Alright, alright. I’m out of your room. Can we please talk about this?” 

“What’s there to talk about, Dad?”, Morgan asked. “The only thing I had, the only normal thing about me, it’s gone now.”

“If you’re scared a deficit is going to mess up your chances at success, oh my God, kid. You’re so wrong,” Tony answered.“I say that with love.”

Morgan was quiet for a minute. She looked up from her desk a moment later, “How do you know that?”

“Well, one, because I know you. You're too stubborn for that. And, two, they're not going to keep you out of the gifted program if you can bring your grades up,” Tony answered.

“I can't bring my grades up, Dad,” Morgan looked back at her paper filled desk.

“Not with that attitude,” Tony answered.

“Hm?”, Morgan asked.

“Can I either get a chair or do I have permission to enter your room yet?”, Tony asked.

Morgan sighed before giving in, “Fine, it's not like I can tell you no.”

Tony put the box of tissues on her desk and sat down on the patch of piled blankets that Morgan kept under her loft bed. “Do you know what twice exceptionality is?”

“No, am I supposed to?”, Morgan asked. Her eyes widened before she mumbled something and shook the thought away.

“Yeah, kind of,” Tony answered.

“It's a math term isn't it?”, Morgan rolled her eyes.

“No, actually, it's not,” Tony answered. “You remember that exam you took in first grade? The one that got you into the gifted program at school?”

Morgan nodded.

“Well, Mom and I had to fill out a whole bunch of paperwork about you,” Tony answered. “Ranging from your date of birth to medical concerns to your interests. In the medical section, there's a whole part dedicated to this big thing called ‘Twice Exceptionality’. It briefs parents on what it is and what to expect if a kid has it. It's a form of the gifted program that accommodates children who meet the requirements to be a gifted talented student, but are served with an IEP or 504. You’ve always fallen under that, it's not a bad thing. It acknowledges that gifted kids, they can have difficulties with their mental health, physical/ challenges, and ability to retain information.”

“Oh. That's nice,” Morgan said, her tone cold.

“You're not leaving the gifted program, if you let me help you,” Tony said. “There's literally no way they'd kick you out for this, you have a disability that makes it harder to understand abstract concepts. Once that's addressed in your IEP, they'll give you another chance. I promise they will.”

“But that makes me stupid, Dad,” Morgan stated.

“No, it doesn't.”

“How could it not?”, Morgan asked.

“Being given an IEP doesn't mean you're incapable of learning and doing great things. Often times, IEPs are given to kids who learn differently or need a better learning environment. You just need an individualized support system to help you in succeeding. That's not a bad thing,” Tony answered.

“Would it surprise you if I said I don't believe that?”, Morgan asked.

“Not really,” Tony stated. “But really, it's okay that you're not a human calculator. That doesn't change anything about you and doesn't change what Mom and I think about you. You know what we both think?”

“No, I don't,” Morgan answered.

“Morgan, I know right now it feels like everything is crashing down, this hurts, and life simply doesn't make sense right now. You shouldn't have been the one to go through what you did. I can't take away the pain, the confusion, your struggle. But I can tell you what I see. You have a purpose, and I know it'll be amazing. Probably won't have to do with math, and that's completely okay. Your Mom and I, we love you so much. We're proud of you. You are enough. We know you're trying hard to get it. And I know none of what I'm saying is going to change anything that you feel about yourself. But, will you at least let me try to help you understand what your math teacher is trying to teach you? I know you'll get it if you just keep trying,” Tony tried to persuade. 

Morgan sighed before handing over her binder to Tony and turning around so she could face her Dad.

He flipped to the math portion before turning through pages upon pages of math notes, homework, tests, and assignments. He found his way back to the first two pages before saying something, “How does she teach this stuff to you?”

“She talks part of I through once and piles practice sheets on our tables,” she said. “Then makes us figure out the rest on her own and only allows one way to get the answer.”

“Common Core,” Tony nodded. “I forgot that was a thing. You know the boy Harley that comes by sometimes, who's good friends with Peter? I knew him when he was just a kid and there was one day he facetimed your mom and me, he wouldn't quit complaining about how different common core is from what it was prior. I had to help him too.”

“Oh,” Morgan answered.

“You can redo work?”, Tony asked.

“That's what the note says,” Morgan answered.

“So the first thing you worked on at the start was fundamental multiplication,” Tony stated. “You seemed to do pretty well on that, do you want to start with that or go back to it later?” She had gotten an 85 on that unit.

“Later,” Morgan answered.

“Mixed operations and division seem to be harder to grasp, why don't we start there?”, Tony asked. “Over the weekend I can help you with some of the assignments you need to redo.”

\------

Tony high fived Morgan two hours later, “You're starting to get it, and hey. If this way of working out that type of problem works for you, and that's the only way it works for you, they're going to have to deal with it. Teachers need to learn to stop being sticklers about how a kid learns. The most important thing is that you learn how to solve it the best way you possibly can. Celebratory ice cream? I'll make sure Mom doesn't yell at us.”

Morgan laughed at Tony’s statement as the two walked out of her room and down the stairs to the living room. 

“About the ice cream, only on one condition,” Tony stated as the two made it downstairs.

“What?”, Morgan asked.

“Talk to Peter,” Tony answered.

“Wha-”, Morgan tried to reject the idea.

“No ice cream if you don't,” Tony answered.

“Fine,” Morgan answered before trudging over to Peter, who was sitting at the dining table. 

“Are you going to kill me?”, Peter asked, his voice oddly quiet, as he looked up from his phone. 

Morgan sat down next to him, “No, I'm not. I'm sorry I got mad at you. I should've told them.”

“It's okay, I get why you didn't want them to know,” Peter shrugged. “I did the same thing with May in freshman year when I was failing English after missing so many days from being sick. I was too ashamed to say that I couldn't keep up with absent assignments and current assignments.” 

“Before the-”, Morgan asked.

“Yep, that was the last time I've been that sick,” Peter answered. “You're not mad at me though? Promise?”

“I'm not mad at you, not anymore,” Morgan answered.

“Before I leave for Queens tomorrow, do you want to play Super Mario Party with me?”, Peter asked as he looked at his little sister.

“Yes!”, Morgan exclaimed.

Tony walked into the dining area of the room a moment later, “Oh good, you two made up. Ice cream is on the counter over there. Figured you'd want some too, Pete.”

**Author's Note:**

> If you read this, I hope you enjoyed it. This fic is a part of a vent fic series based on issues I've had to deal with as a person with Cerebral Palsy. (If you could, please go back and read the first part to catch yourself up.) But I feel unaccomplished if I don't ever post them. This may be my last one in this series even though I had more planned out. But let me know, did you like it?


End file.
